What Happens To Us?
by liztits
Summary: It's a big night for Shepard, and the rest of the Normandy crew, as they say goodbye to the past and hello to their new future. Shepard's nervous, Liara is supportive, and everyone is drunk. Post-war Normandy fun, lots of Liara/FemShep fun! 5th in verse


**Another story from my little verse. Thinking of maybe actually doing a multichap thing? Maybe something during the war, more back up for the story as it is now? Let me know what you think of that idea, and of this story! Reviews are like food to me. **  
**Enjoy!**

* * *

Shepard put her arms through the sleeves of her jacket, pulling the fabric around her to fasten the buttons.  
Captain's uniform. It made her feel awkward and uncomfortable. She was Commander Shepard, not anything else. She turned to the mirror of her bedroom, smoothing down the material of the jacket and looking at herself.  
Most of her scars had long since healed, helped along by the doctors at the hospital, only the deepest leaving lasting marks. She looked at the uniform again and scoffed. But she'd promised she'd wear it today, and if she turned up in her armour, still limping, she'd probably incite a galaxy wide panic.  
She heard soft footsteps pad up behind her and turned to see Liara smiling at her.  
"You look very dapper, Captain" She said, straightening out the soliders lapels.  
"I don't feel very dapper. And don't call me that Liara." She frowned, putting her hands over the top of her lovers. "You look beautiful, by the way."  
Liara's cheeks darkened as she accepted the compliment, leaning forward to brush her lips against Shepard's.  
"You ready?" Liara asked, lowering their joined hands.  
"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Shepard let go of Liara's hands and moved away from her, limping across the room to pick up her crutches.  
"Hey," Liara called, waiting for Shepard to turn, "I love you."  
Shepard smiled softly, slipping her arms into the slots of the crutches. "I love you too, now let's get this thing over with."

To say there was a huge turnout would be an understatement. Alliance balls were usually at the bare minimum, only the people being honoured, their crewmates and the higher ups. Military types hate dressing up and being fancy, preferring to get in the action.  
Shepard pulled at the collar of her stupid new jacket and sighed again, looking around the room. She didn't know more than half of these people.  
Liara sat to one side of her, chatting to Kahlee Sanders. Shepard couldn't bring herself to look at her, knowing what her living had cost the older woman. Kahlee had sent emails saying that she didn't blame Shepard, that she knew how stubborn Anderson was, but Shepard still couldn't look her in the eye.  
"Shepard?" A voice nearby called, but the woman in question was too caught up in her own thoughts to register someone calling her. "AMY!"  
She jumped at that, and turned to see Ashley Williams grinning at her. "Williams!" Shepard exclaimed, pulling herself up from her chair and embracing the former gunnery chief. "I thought you were in America?" She asked, pulling away from the taller woman.  
"I was, but I wasn't gonna miss them dressing you up all nice and embarrassing you for a few hours. Plus, apparently I'm getting a promotion or something."  
"You're a smartass Ash, but I'm proud of you." Shepard grins, looking around the room. "You here on your own?"  
"I'm being a 'wingman' for Vega, the ass. But he's already chatting up some girl at the bar so I thought I'd come and find you!"  
"The bar you say? How about we head over there, get some drinks down us?"  
"I thought you'd never ask, Commander."

Shepard is pleasantly buzzed by the time Liara comes looking for her, Miranda in tow. Jack found her and Williams at the bar about an hour ago, mumbling something about Miranda being the centre of attention and flopping down on to a bar stool.  
"Are you drunk Amy? Really, today of all days?" Liara huffs, taking one look at Shepard.  
"Oooooo, someone's in trouble" Jack singsongs from beside her, before her and Ashley fall into a fit of giggles.  
"She's not the only one." Miranda chimes up from behind Liara, voice sharp.  
"Shit." Jack mumbles, putting her head down on the bar while Ashley descends into another fit of giggles.  
"Come on" Liara says, pulling Shepard to her feet. "They're looking for you, they're about to start the awards."  
"Fuck." Shepard grumbles under her breath, allowing herself to be pulled away from the bar.  
"Get up Jack, right now." Miranda practically growls before turning away and almost stomping toward the stage.  
Ashley sits for a few minutes, smiling contently to herself before a huge hand claps her on the back. "Come on Spectre, you gonna sit here and wait for them to bring your promotion to the bar?" Vega asks, placing an empty beer bottle next to her.  
"Do you think they'll do that?" Ashley asks, eyes lighting up slightly.  
"Nope." Vega chuckles, hauling the solider to her feet.

Jack and Miranda are in the first set of awards. Miranda looks beautiful and gracious accepting her award, and despite the early pseudo-argument with Jack, looks proud when her girlfriend accepts her award.  
Joker and Traynor are next, awards and promotions for both. Joker smiles and waves to EDI who's sitting in the crowd, and when Traynor descends from the stage, Vega whispers something vulgar about Sam being more popular with the ladies now she's a war hero.  
Vega himself is up next, accepting an award and pulling a "tough guy" pose when it's announced he's finished the N7 programme early, due to his service in the Reaper wars.  
Liara, along with Tali, Garrus, Grunt and Wrex, is given an honorary award for helping with the Crucible, and she ducks her head slightly, blushing shyly and showing some of that geeky archaeologist hidden under her Shadow Broker façade, which makes Shepard smile.  
Ashley is promoted to Commander, and Vega whoops louder than the rest of the room when she's given a medal for Service to Humanity. When she returns to the rag-tag group, she punches Vega in the arm, but smiles when he slips an arm around her shoulder.

Shepard is last, and she's more nervous as she ambles up the steps to the stage than she was when she was facing down the Geth.  
She's given a medal, presented by a very proud looking Admiral Hackett, and then they formally announce her promotion to Captain. The whole room erupts in applause as she steps up to the podium.

"I haven't planned a speech." She tells the room. "I would've lost it or messed it anyway.  
I don't know what to say, except I'm grateful for the opportunity, and to the people in this room.  
My crew, who's stuck beside me through thick and thin, who believed in me when no one else did, who literally brought me back from the dead and saved my life a thousand times, I'm so beyond grateful I got to serve with you all, and I'm so proud of how far we've come, and how much we've grown.  
I'm grateful to Liara, who has put up with my insane life for the past 4 years, and has never complained, and never stopped loving me. We'd probably be all dead without you, and I know that I'm 10 times the woman I was since I met you." Shepard clears her throat a little before continuing.  
"Admiral David Anderson saved my life, and the lives of everyone in the galaxy on the Citadel. I went up there not expecting to come back, but I stand here now, with a chance to live the rest of my life to the fullest, because of him. He was more than just an Commanding officer to me, and to everyone who knew him, and he helped me save the galaxy countless times.  
I know I'll never live up to his reputation, but I know that I'm damn well gonna try and be at least half the person he was, to honour his name, his legacy. None of this would be possible without him, and I hope where ever he is, he can hear me, and he knows how truly grateful I am.  
Thank you."  
Shepard steps away from the podium as the room erupts again, she looks down into the crowd and is met by the watery eyes of Kahlee Sanders. Instead of looking angry, or sad, she actually looks happy, and mouths "thank you" to Shepard.

Shepard hobbles back to the side of the stage, where Liara is waiting. The asari pulls her into a gentle embrace, kissing her softly before. She then holds her hand out to Shepard who takes it, and lets her help her down the stairs, where she's met by the grinning faces of her crew.  
"Well," Shepard starts, looking around, "let's make the most of the free bar." She smiles widely, clapping her hands together and rubbing them.

They spend the rest of the night drinking everything that comes near them, playing silly drinking games and horsing around.  
When the barman appears with more bottles of liquor asking if anyone needs a refill, Shepard all but screams "hell yeah! Put more of the stuff… in the thing more stuff goes in!" causing the entire crew to fall into a fit of giggles.

Garrus and Tali are the first to leave, Garrus trying to make a chivalrous excuse for his Quarian girlfriend, despite the fact everyone can tell how wasted Tali is, even through her suit.  
Jack and Miranda are next, not bothering to make excuses as Jacks hands roam in places that aren't suitable for public consumption. They practically fly out of the door, Miranda yanking a very confused looking Jack behind her, causing the occupants of the table to fall into yet another fit of giggles.

Liara decides it's time for her and Shepard to leave when Shepard starts trying to convince people to dance with her. She pulls her gently to her feet, shoving her purse into Shepards hands while slipping an arm around her waist, pulling up her crutches with her free hand.  
They make it to the waiting car without much of a struggle, and Shepard begins to sober slightly on the short journey back to their London apartment.

"Liara" Shepard calls from the bedroom of their new home.  
"Yeah?" Liara replies, coming through the door holding a glass of water.  
"Come here, please?" Shepard asks again, looking out of the wide window into the skyline.  
Liara doesn't reply, instead placing the glass on Shepards beside table before joining her at the window.  
Shepard doesn't say anything for a few minutes, just watching the sky shift hazily, before turning to her girlfriend.  
"I love you." She starts, wringing her hands slightly. Liara stills them with her own, smiling softly.  
"I love you." Shepard tries again. "Every day, I love you a little more. And I don't know what I'd do without you. You're amazing, and you're beautiful, and you're everything I could ever want and more, and I'm so, so lucky you chose to let me love you.  
I don't know how asari relationships work. I tried to read up on it, but you know how I am with books." She grins sheepishly. "But from what I gathered, from what little I read, and asking Aetheyta and Samara, you have bondmates? I don't know how to ask you this the asari way, even though I tried to figure it out, so I'm gonna ask you the human way, and hope it's the same.  
Liara T'Soni, for the past 4 years, you've been my light in the darkness, and I never want to know what it's like when the light goes out."  
Shepard shifts, and with a little difficulty, gets down on one knee. "Will you marry me?" She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a diamond and blue topaz ring, nestled in a velvet box.  
It takes Liara a second to reply, and Shepard watches as her eyes well up.  
"Oh Amy, of course I'll marry you." Liara smiles, reaching down and pulling Shepard up to her feet. "I love you, I love you so much." She continues before kissing her deeply.  
"Can I put the ring on you now?" Shepard asks, still holding the little box.  
"Later." Liara answers, taking the box out of Shepards hand and placing it on the dresser.  
"Why not now?" Shepard asks as Liara moves closer, kissing her next softly.  
"Later." Liara repeats, kissing lightly down the length of Shepards neck, fingers deftly working on the buttons of her jacket.  
"Oh" Shepard finally understands, reaching up under Liara's chin and pulling it up so their mouths can meet.

Later, when they're tangled in the sheets of their bed, ring firmly on Liara's finger, the Asari asks "How long have you been planning that?"  
"Ages, I asked Miranda and Tali for help. They know about girl stuff." Shepard replies.  
"I thought so, that speech was far too thought out to be off the top of your head." Liara chuckles, burying her face into Shepards red hair. "I hope you know we're having the ceremony on Thessia."  
Shepard just chuckles, leaning further in towards her new fiancée and grinning wildly.


End file.
